Bemelman's Bar at the Carlyle

Q: What do Woody Allen, Leonardo diCaprio, Tom Selleck, Nicolas Sarkozy, Mick Jagger, and The Vinucator have in common?

A: We were all staying at the Carlyle and drinking at Bemelman's a week ago (not that we were hanging out together in my room, mind you. I am not sure that could have afforded all of the furniture that Sarkozy and Jagger would have broken, what with Sarkozy getting second billing in Carla Bruni's closet and all).

Bemelman's (the fabulous old-school NYC bar in the even-more fabulous old-school NYC art-deco Carlyle Hotel - http://thecarlyle.com/) is known for celebrity sightings and murals depicting the illustrations found in Ludwig Bemelmans' "Madeleine" series of children's books. Drinking at the bar itself, however, is not child's play, as drinks can run upwards of $20 a piece, but not all there is centered on negronis, martinis, and gimlets. The bar and hotel also offer a very serviceable wine list to go with their classic as well as their more modern dishes.

Here were the pairings that were suggested by our mutual friend, The Vinucator, for a group of about fifteen:

Appetizer:

Bibb Lettuce with Blue Cheese, Poached Pear, Toasted Walnuts, and Truffle Dressing

Wine: 2006 Domaine de Ladoucette Pouilly Fume

Main#1:

Grilled Hawaiian Swordfish with Broccoil Rabe, Roasted Peppers, Garlic Herb Potatoes, and Lemon Butter Sauce

White Wine: 2006 Bruno Giacosa Roero Arneis

Red Wine: 2007 Domaine Joblot "Clos de la Servoisine" Givry 1er Cru

Main#2:

Individual Beef Wellington with Bordelaise Sauce on a Bed of Wilted Spinach

Wine: 2004 Chateau Leoville-Poyferre St. Julien

I don't suppose there is any need to say that the pairings were wonderful, and based on the level of quality of everything at the Carlyle, the prices of the wines were not insufferable, as they would be in many other places.

Check it out sometime! If, however, you can't go to Bemelmans or the Carlyle, pair these wines with this this menu at home. Even if you don't get to see Jagger and Sarkozy fighting over Carla Bruni, or listen to Woody Allen play the "Magnum, P.I." and "Titanic" themes on his clarinet, you'll save yourself a few bucks and have a great dinner with your (somewhat-less-glamorous) friends anyway!

Salud, dinero, y amor!

The Vinucator

A New Beginning; The Vinucation Blog Starts in Earnest

Hi all,

Here we go again. When I initially created this blog two years ago, I did it as an experiment to see how much time, in order to do it well, I would have to spend on it every day. I discovered that it would be over an hour, and concluded that that would be too much. I now intend to carve out that time (or perhaps a little less), so look for my first new post tomorrow, and keep on coming back.

Upcoming posts:

Bemelman's Bar at the Carlyle Hotel in NYC;

What to Drink on the Deck of a Mobile Bay Waterfront Vacation Home; http://www.vrbo.com/170332

The Coney Island Experience;

Good Wines for Camping;

Sushi and Sake on the Upper East Side of Manhattan;

The Best Mai Tais in Hawaii;

The Distillation of Armagnac in Gascony.